Defeated!!

Honey...don't base your accomplishments (or down play them) on what someone else can do... Even at my most fit (160 pounds) I could not run a 10 minute mile. You will get better as your endurance increases. I think it's absolutely amazing that someone who is 306 pounds can run that far that fast!

That is NOTHING to sniff at! I'm constantly surprised at how fast people are able to run, I did a C25K running program and still had a hard time sustaining more than 4mph. When I'm walking, it's closer to 2.5MPH. I think it's MORE valuable to look at what it's doing to your heart rate--is it just a slow relaxing walk? Are you able to have a conversation? Are you getting out of breath? If you're trying to get weight loss cardio benefits, I think you just want to make sure your heart rate is up enough that you feel like you're challenging yourself.

That said, I truly believe that the most important thing to think about is--do you enjoy the walk? Do you feel good after you do it? If you find an exercise that you like and you can keep up, that'll do much more good for you than trying to match someone else's speed.

If you judge what you do by other people, you will always find someone faster, stronger, or better. It's just the way things are. What is important is did you do better than you could have even a few months ago? Are you improving? You did good!

Also remember that you are doing a fast walk whereas people who do 10 minute miles run the entire thing. The first time I ran a mile (as an adult) was a little over a year ago and it took me 15 minutes. While that's considered slow, it was a huge win for me as I hadn't run a mile since I was a kid and I had just quit smoking a few months prior. Fast forward a year and now I'm running daily at a 10-12 minute pace and doing half marathons. It doesn't happen overnight and will take a lot of practice. There's no rush and it isn't technically a 'race'. Go at it at your own pace as you want this to be something you do for a lifetime; not something you quickly accomplish and then stop. Good luck!

When it comes to walking and running, always compare to yourself in the past, not others in the present. I struggle with that often, but always when I am able to think back on where I used to be, I am always pleased with where I am now. I had a fairly disappointing race recently but when I remembered back to February, I remembered that I wasn't even sure if I would be able to do it at all, regardless of the time.

Comparing yourself to others while on your own personal mission is a quick way to find yourself feeling the way you do. Use yourself as your own measuring stick. Don't worry about how much others lose, how fast they run, or how much weight they can move in the gym. Set personal small goals and try to improve on them every week if possible. Everyone who runs always says to run or walk at your own pace. That is great advice!

Push yourself to get your heart rate up and keep at it, your times will start to drop as the weight begins to come off.

So, so true.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

She hit the nail right on the head!!

Please give yourself credit for what you are achieving. So what, some others do this or that. This has been your major achievement. One day you may go faster or you may not. Discovering you can do more now than you did back then is also an achievement.

Never give up. If something is not working, try something different. Most of all be Proud to be You. You are the only one we have. You are a one off and can do everything you do to the best of your ability, no one else could be you.

1. Just keep at it. You will improve with time.
2. Like everyone else said, don't compare yourself with others.

That's a great time! Don't compare yourself to other people. Those 10 min mile people you see online might be longtime runners; or, they might be people who went all out for that run and wouldn't be able to sustain that pace over the course of a longer run.

It's not about what you do one day, it's about consistency and improving over time. Anybody can do something once - it's being able to deliver every time that matters.

What is defeat? Nothing but education; Nothing but the first step to something better."
Bruce Lee

I can easily walk 5k, as I do I almost daily. And since a back injury, I have a lot of difficulty running so do not want to run 5k, I just want to walk as fast as I can as it doesn't put as much pain on my back. I am trying to increase my speed and do shorter distances. I would love to be able to do 2 miles within half hour. That is my newest goal.
Thank you everyone for the positive encouragement. It does mean a lot!! Here is to tomorrow's workout.

that is a great goal, you will make it, and be proud of what you can do, there are many slim people that can't run any distance. so what you are doing you are amazing at it.. keep it up!

Don't judge yourself by what others can do. In high school I ran cross country even though I was twice the size of the other girls. I was last in every race, but every race got faster for me. As long as you are improving, you're doing great!

Try doing intervals (where you do 2 minutes pushing yourself, whatever speed that may be; and then 1 minute slightly slower to recover, repeat this 6-8 times), that way you are teaching your body to go a little bit faster without trying to do it for 2 miles straight.

Great job!!!!